Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Quick and yummy

A friend reminded me today that I promised to share my tzatziki sauce recipe. It's pretty good and not too hard to make. Plus, you can put it on meats, veggies and pitas. Maybe use it as a spread instead of mayo. It's really versatile.

Ingredients
6-8 oz. fat free plain greek yogurt  (Use 8 ounces for a milder flavor, 6 ounces for stronger)
2 cloves of garlic (Pressed)
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 cucumber
Fresh Dill or mint (Optional--I didn't use it).

Preparation
Cut cucumber down the middle. Seed with spoon. Using the small side of the cheese grater, grate the flesh of the cucumber onto plate covered with paper towel. Bunch up the paper towel and squeeze the excess juice from cucumber so you are just left with the pulp.

Add container greek yogurt, cloves of garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper. Mix.

Mix in pulp of cucumber.

For best flavor results, let sit in the fridge for 24 hours. It should last in your fridge four to five days.

I actually doubled the recipe and just mixed everything into a 16-ounce yogurt container. Easy for storing. I've eaten it on chicken and some veggies. It's really fresh-tasting and yummy. Let me know what you think.

I am super excited about this week's produce basket from Eat Right Atlanta. It's chock full of some of my favorites:

Fruits:
Peaches
Mangoes
Grapefruit

Vegetables:
Kale
Eggplant
Buternut Squash
Romaine Lettuce
Broccoli Crowns
Brussel Sprouts
Carrots
Basil
Avocados

I'm expecially excited about the mangoes and avocados, so I can make my new favorite salad. I've also heard really good things about kale chips, so I'll try those and post the recipe if it goes well.

Do any of you have any new food discoveries?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

i read a recipe yesterday that was super simple and uses grapefruit!! just mix equals parts honey and fresh squeezed grapefruit juice- pulp if you like- and use it as a glaze for fish or chicken. i also had a peach/mango/tomato/peppers salsa recently that was delightful. yum!
-abo

Anonymous said...

Found a great use for the eggplant!

Baba Ganoush Recipe
• 1 large eggplant
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup sesame tahini
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt to taste
• Parsley and olive oil to garnish (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prick each eggplant a few times, then char the outside of the eggplants by placing them directly on the flame of a gas burner and as the skin chars, turn them until the eggplants are uniformly-charred on the outside. (If you don't have a gas stove, you can char them under the broiler. If not, skip to the next step.)

Place on a baking sheet and roast for 30-45 minutes or until they're completely soft; you should be able to easily poke a paring knife into them and meet no resistance. Split the eggplant and scrape out the pulp.

Puree the pulp in a blender or food processor with the garlic, tahini, lemon juice and salt until smooth.

Taste and season with additional salt and lemon juice, if necessary. Chill for a few hours before serving.

Serve with crackers, sliced baguette, or toasted pita chips. Top with parsley and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil if desired.

Storage: Baba Ganoush can be made and refrigerated for up to five days prior to serving.

Variations: You can make your baba ganoush spicier with some crushed red pepper. I also like to add chopped tomatoes for color (stir in by hand) and flavor.

Anonymous said...

You can do roughly the same thing with grated carrots... very yummy too. We use it in a traditional Indian dish called Raita and you would put grated carrots with yogurt (any type) and add a little salt. Then you take a small saucepan, heat 1/2 tsp oil, then add some cumin seeds to sizzle, black mustard seeds to pop(optional), and one piece of sliced chili/jalapeno (to taste if you like). Then garnish it with cilantro. Very yummy with all types of brown rice dish, flat breads, etc.